(A deepened partnership between the United States and Central America) (700)

Following is a fact sheet issued by White House officials after President Clinton's
meeting with Central American leaders May 8 in San Jose, Costa Rica:

The Declaration of San Jose commits the United States and the nations of Central
America to an intensified dialogue on a broad range of issues, including actions in the
areas of strengthening democracy and regional security, building trade and investment,
combating crime, drugs and corruption, promoting dialogue on immigration, and achieving
more equitable and sustainable development. This deepened cooperation reflects the
remarkable transformation of Central America, which, for the first time in 35 years, is
democratic and at peace.

Intensified Dialogue/Follow-up Mechanisms: The Summit declaration provides structure
for a deepened political relationship to follow-up commitments undertaken at the Summit.
Secretary of State Albright will meet annually with the foreign ministers of Central
America and the Dominican Republic to follow-up commitments from the Summit. Attorney
General Reno will meet next month with her counterparts to develop an Action Plan
implementing commitments to heightened cooperation on law enforcement issues. Finally, the
Presidents created a ministerial-level Trade and Investment Council to advance our shared
free-trade goals within the FTAA process.

Strengthening Democracy/Combating Crime and Drugs: The declaration calls for
intensified efforts to combat drug consumption, drug trafficking, money laundering and
related illegal activity. It also commits governments to the modernization of extradition
treaties. In several of the Summit countries, constitutional bans on the extradition of
nationals create a defacto legal sanctuary for Central American nationals who commit
crimes in the U.S. then flee from justice. Cooperation on extradition will be among the
priority law enforcement matters at the upcoming meeting between Attorney General Reno and
her Central American counterparts.

Building Free Trade: The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Miami Summit vision
of a Free Trade Area of the Americas by 2005. They called for the beginning of FTAA
negotiations at the March 1998 Santiago Summit and welcomed the participation of labor in
the process of hemispheric economic integration. The declaration welcomes the
Administration's intention to seek passage of a bill enhancing access to the U.S. market
for Caribbean Basin Initiative beneficiaries and recognizes strong advances the Central
Americans have made in opening and restructuring their economies.

The declaration provides for a ministerial Trade and Investment Council to make
specific recommendations for deepening our trade ties on a more reciprocal basis. It also
pledges governments to continue work on bilateral investment treaties, intellectual
property rights agreements, and liberalization of telecommunications, information
technology and financial services sectors -- all U.S. trade policy goals. Our new Open
Skies agreements are concrete examples of our commitment to open trade and commerce, and,
in anticipation of increased air traffic stimulated by our new open skies agreements, the
leaders pledge further cooperation to strengthen aviation regulatory, safety and security
capabilities throughout the region.

Workers Rights and Social Issues: The communique takes note of the Administration's
Apparel Industry Partnership and calls for labor ministers to organize a conference of
interested parties this year to exchange ideas as to how employers and workers
organizations can promote respect for labor rights and improve working conditions. The
leaders give particular emphasis to the need for more social investment -- in health,
education, housing and labor training -- to extend the benefits of economic growth. They
call for expanding programs to promote micro-enterprises as a means of attacking poverty.
They underscore the contribution that women make to the development process and pledge
especially to protect the rights of workers set out in the ILO Constitution and various
conventions.

Protecting the Environment: The declaration renews our commitment to the principles of
environmental protection that underlie the U.S. Central America environmental agreement
signed at the Miami Summit (CONCAUSA). It also endorses the concept of giving credit for
Joint Implementation Projects to reduce greenhouse gasses, a major goal of U.S.
environmental policy which we will push globally at Kyoto Climate Change Conference in
December.